Surf City through the eyes of children

Andrew Edwards

The young artists of the Art at the Beach summer camp, sponsored by

the Huntington Beach Art Center, spent their time illustrating

patterns of Southern California summers, using their imaginations and

some Surf City style to give their designs life.

The children started with an idea. They had to choose one thing:

an animal, activity or object that exemplified life along the

California coast. Popular choices included fish, turtles and an array

of surfer dudes.

“He’s surfing a surfboard,” 8-year-old Gregory Walker said when

explaining his drawing. “I wanted to draw it because this is Surf

City.”

Gregory said he started surfing around Christmas and likes to draw

from his experience.

“You know how to draw, and you know what it’s like when you do

what you’re drawing,” he said.

The children each drew three pictures of the same item in

different sizes. After they finished with their pencils, they cut out

their drawings to make stencils. Once they had their stencils in

hand, they used them to trace several pictures onto large sheets of

paper. The idea was to combine several simple drawings to make an

elaborate pattern.

“We’re doing like a collage thing where you overlap and put stuff

under,” 11-year-old Max Sorrels said.

As each student traced, each project took a different shape. Some

began to resemble swirling spirals. Others developed more of a

crisscross look, and some had a sense of randomness.

“I don’t really decide,” 11-year-old Charles Johnson said. “I just

put the paper down, the outline down.”

Taylor Duchon, 11, wanted to make a more orderly picture. She said

she wanted to plan everything to get the effect she was looking for.

“I’m going to take my time and think about what I’m going to do

first,” she said. “I want it to be like it’s 3-D or it’s popping out

at you.”

Once the patterns were ready, it was time to add color. The class

was given markers and wet brushes to make the ink bleed and create a

watercolor look. The children used complementary color pairs, like

red and green, to give their pictures an exciting feel.

“When used properly, you can create intense color vibrations to

the eye,” instructor Gloria Wargo said.

The campers’ work was the beginning of a two-day project. On the

first day, children filled sheets of paper with colorful,

beach-themed drawings. Their task on the second day was to design

vibrant backgrounds that give their projects a sense of texture and a

more complete appearance.